Spring Fever or an Ode to Summer.

It's weeks like this that I wish I already had my college degree in hand so I could enjoy this absolutely gorgeous weather, instead I spent yesterday typing 5 pages of my rough draft and today I'll be couped up in class until 8PM. ..soon enough the semester will be over, it's just getting through these last 3 weeks then I'll be free, until summer session starts, (hopefully, if I have the money.) Right now I'm in burnout mode with school, I just want to have my afternoons back, not have to worry about papers and deadlines, ride my bike to work, without having to worry about how much time I'll waste riding home to grab my car. To spend time researching road surfaces and bike routes, instead of religion, politics, and scholastics. To worry about the conflict between Australia and Germany, instead of Israel and Palestine. To run without the weight of my full backpack, a cup of coffee in one hand and my head staring at my watch as I go anaerobic trying to make it to class on time. To compete, to relax, to actually eat dinner with other people and before 11PM. To watch the tour and learn how to climb like a mountain goat..and descend with very little fear. This seasons is one of my more ambitious, with a small tour of New England built into it, a rest day working as a volunteer at Lake Placid ( hopefully), and possibly a trip to FLA this November or the Lava Fields in October. Quite frankly I can't wait..I want to spend my afternoons training..I want my speed sessions by the lake, I want my town loops from Hell, I want my 4000 yard pool practices after a long day in the saddle. I want to spend my weekends in towns I wouldn't have even thought existed except for the fact I raced there or rode my bike through there once or twice. My head is starting to focus on the beautiful scenes out the window, rather than the lecture that could make or break my scholastic career. I want to unleash that carefree side hardly anyone sees instead of the uptight stressed out, business man/ scholastic everyone sees. I often joke that if anoyne from the Ironman had seen me two days before I flew down it would have been like watching two completely different people. So here's to the summer when my life will not be dictated to me by papers, research and study..but rather how much training I can take and racing my purse strings will allow.

Counting down the days.
R.D.

Rhode Trip

Yesterday, I made my well anticipated road trip to Newport, home of Salve Regina University (5 to 1 girl to guy ratio....why didn't I go here again?) and my sister Melissa who is an undergrad at said university. I woke up after a semi-restless night on Saturday....probably from one too many hot dogs @ the HEAT picnic. I made my way down I-95 North and after an NDE outside of Groton involving a big rig on its way to Mohegan cutting me off as I attempted to pass and the guy behind me ducking right just as I prepared to..it ended up with me driving in my own lane for a few tense moments. Then there was grandma going to drop her granddaughter's Jetta off a URI nothing is more painful than going down a backcountry road I usually take at say... double the posted speed limit..@ 25 MPH...Road Rage Building! Well all my travel escapades aside I finally made it to Newport and decided to reward my aching legs with a 6-7 mile ( 10-12k ) run.

I started off on the cliff walk hooked up with two faster runners for a minute then got dropped, but decided to keep following the cliff walk to the beach. Now maybe it's just me but has anyone noticed that the salty air off the water tends to dehydrate you. Anyway everybody and their brother, mother, and uncle fester were out walking about...I felt bad having to dart around or call out "excuse me ...on your left" but things got a little less congested as I hit the beach and had a Chariots of Fire moment, running along the sand...I saw some chick in front of me running barefoot, now that's bad ass. Anyhoo, I ended up having to cross in front of a busy traffic island in Middletown, then another junction between RI 138 and RI 214 about a half mile up the road. Then to my surprise I foundout there actually are hills in Newport as I began to climb through this residential neighborhood. I asked some dude on his bike if this road would get me back to the center of town..he told me to take a right at the stop sign at the top of the hill and follow the road until it ends. Easy enough. The road ended at a little park, I saw the main road not too far off, but asked some woman walking her dog for extra directions, " Yeah you take a left up ahead and it'll spit you out at the cliff walk then you just follow that to Salve." I shot out onto some flat little side street and got spit out at a busy 4 lane medianed drag standing between me and the beach. After a few kind motorists let me through I began my bobbing and weaving through the sea of walkers, joggers, yuppies with strollers, a wedding party, and dudes just standing there and made it back to my car. Total run time 1:00.48, for all the waiting for traffic, and deft maneuvering I'll take it.

After calling Melissa and trying to figure out the directions to her place, I picked up Chrissy ( who was doing a college visit, she's getting so big so fast...tear..sniff.) It was off to IHOP with Chrissy, Liss, and Liss's roomates, then walmart, then a quick tour of then the shops of Newport, then the beach, then back home....all in all it was a pretty good day.

Today, not much on tap, my knee's acting up a little after 2 straight days of trail/sand running I'm giving them a break....also I need to type out at least 8 pages of my paper for the rough draft, so that will consume my afternoon, I might give the bike some love but it's doubtful, but I will hit the pool at 8-8:30ish and get 4000 yds. in.

Well that's all for me today. Oh and bleated good luck to Speed Racer and Cranky Runner running some little rink a dink road race in Massachusetts....at this point they're probably just at 20 mile mark .

The road worn wonderer
R.D.

I still can't get myself up early in the morning....

Today's plan for an early morning swim ended as I hit the snooze button..... repeatedly.... so I'll throw it on tonight after a nice 30 mile ride in Middlebury...by nice I mean an uphill quad burning torture chamber that will leave you hypoxic breathing deeper than you ever thought possible and begging for mercy. Yes Boys and Girls I'm doing the Olympic Route, my hammer fest with Bjoern last week re-iterated the fact this year has to be about the bike..if I want to qualify for Kona within the next 3 years....that and quite frankly I'm tired of getting passed by 60 year old women on Cervelos.

Yesterday I managed to get in a workout... and it was a run no less. I did a nice 4.5 mile loop in 36.21. I know its not a distance record or anything but it was a good little matinence run. My stride is still ok, my aerobic capacity needs to get shocked back to reality, and if the weather stays as nice as it is I might start going shirtless, and bringing the fuel belt with me, on my 8 miler. This weekend is going to be a little hectic. I've got the HEAT picnic Tomorrow, after work followed by a nice ride/run brick. Then some paper writing. Sunday I haul out to Newport to visit Liss and pick up Chrissy. I might go up early and get a run in along the cliff walk...maybe the beach...barefoot... in a vintage English track get up.....ok I'm not going the do the Chariots of Fire thing...but I do plan on running in Newport, I would bring the bike but I don't want to get utterly lost, by myself on the mean streets on Newport afterall some tennis playing yuppie might mug me to prove to his precious Smuggiekins that he's bad ass and the Tae Kwon Doe lessons were worth it. Although they do have a lot of cobbles.....the stomper is staying home and I'm running damn it. If I can get my run on for 8-10 miles that would be great, but any time I can get perfecting my stride and looking pimp is worth it.
Monday I hand in the rough draft of my Paper from Hell, I know what I want to say I just have to put it in ink. So that will be the project late tonight, tomorrow night and Sunday Evening. Eventually I'm going to have to take Angry up on this Slosh Pipe thing, because as of late I'm feeling like a weak little runt. I did 15 push ups last night and it ocuured to me that my lack of strength training could be hurting me. Especially my swim where strong shoulders and triceps can make a huge difference. ..In any case the bossman is giving me the evil glare...back to the grind.

R.D.

A better poll/ The week in Review.

Well alright it's a little too early for a week in review..but I can sum mine up in just one word. LAZY. that's right instead of getting up and actually getting in early morning traing sessions I've slept in. I've blown off night training sessions to BS with friends, actually had a beer on a week night, gotten some school work done and have felt like a slacker most of the time. Granted I think my body needed the break..Today I'm going to run before class, the one discipline I've been neglecting for the last week, tomorrow I have a swim/bike brick planned as I get out of work early. I need to get a schedule set and get myself back into a routine, especially with Eagleman looming on the horizon . My swimming ,surprise surprise, hasn't dropped off that much granted I'm pulling between 3000-3500 per work out, less than my nearly 4000-5000 per practices pre-ironman, but not by much. The cycle, I need to hit the hills and hit them hard,I sadly think I have the "old school" Maro Pantani climbing style of climbing with low cadence yet powerful gears, on the tough climbs this has not served my too well. So I need to find my inner Lance Armstrong, and try to raise my cadence. This Sunday I will be going to visit my sister in Newport, so I'm hoping to show up early and get a nice run along the cliff walk in, I would bring the bike, but I don't know my way around well enough yet. Also I have to finish typing a rough draft of my paper, so this weekend is loaded with activity. So in all essence this week was a rest week but longer harder, stronger weeks are in the forecast.

About the Poll:
I've got some comments that I'm over thinking this whole crush thing and its sort of making me into an emotional whiny bitch. So this week's poll:
How should I write my blog from here on out?

A. Keep going the way you are. Yeah you go into crazy sporadic enmotional, religious, political rants but it's your nature and it gives the reader a better picture of yourself.

B. Damn right you're being a whiny bitch! Stop with all the emotional crap...we want race and ride reports, nothing more nothing less...unless it can increase strength, VO2 max, is full dura ace and Carbon fiber, or involves shredding your age group like a rapid beast we don't want to hear about it.

R.D.

Does anyone know what to send a Kiwi girl?

Alright as everyone knows I am smitten over a girl from New Zealand...who still lives in New Zealand....giving a whole new meaning to the term "long distance relationship." I am putting out a question to the ladies and slosh pipe bearing Casanovas..what do I send a girl that lives half a world away ( quite literally.)?

I thought about flowers, but I'm quite unsure if any of the florists down there would take credit card over the phone, also I don't want to be on the phone for 3 hours with security saying I did the purchase by phone and explain my intricate situation with some number cruncher in New Delhi, or Sioux Falls, or East Bum Fuck, and then end up on a Citi commercial...unless of course they're paying me..... then I run into the whole problem of what kind to get, if I get roses what color. Red..well that would freak her out, I'm not sure what white roses mean, Pink is you're cool and I'm kinda sweet on you, Yellow I think it's like "hey I'm ADD and found Yellow roses aren't they cool." well they are....... Purple Roses at least I think they mean " You broke my heart you cold-hearted bitch..prepare for your current boy friend to be sleeping with the fishes by the end of the week and Mr. Ed's head to greet you in bed... your snubbed ex-lover Don Vito Corleone." either that or you're just both really emo....that just all seems a little too confusing.

Candy....let's face it if they have it state side they most likely have it in New Zealand..well except Hershey's but they own Cadbury so it's kinda the same thing..

She's into cycling..a bike jersey? Socks? that could be tricky, nothing sucks worse that getting her a Credit Agricole Jersey Done up in the NZ national Champion colours only to find out she thinks the dude's a prick. Dura-Ace, nothing says I love you like dura-ace!...wait a second for the same price I could buy myself dura ace......put the credit card down Rob you need that for a summer course.

A cute little stuffed Kiwi? Let's face it she's probably sick of all the little stuffed Kiwi's the gift shops sell to unsuspecting tourists like me.

So that is this week's poll What do I send Cat?

Flowers: Most likely to be delivered to her at work by a local florist. ( if you choose this option leave a comment about color and type.)

Candy

Cycling Paraphernalia

Other ( please leave a comment to specify....as a side note I don't think she'd be into the whole slosh pipe thing but then again......)

CCSU: Start with a dream, finish in a decade.....

Yesterday I met with my advisor to get my registration PIN so I could enroll for what should be the first semester of my final year of college...if you read the title you know where this is going....well I got bad news in 3 parts



Part 1. Well Rob since you're an Anthropology Minor all those intro to Anthropology courses don't count toward your General Ed requirements....what? You mean I can't kill two birds with one stone. Dang..alright I'll take intro to Sociology and intro to Psych or public speaking and some crap like that, 2 BS GPA boosters.



Part 2. The bombshell....so I'll still be able to graduate in 2009 I'll just add those...

Well actually Rob..your going to need at least 11 more courses to graduate...

What? I tranfered in all that stuff from Fordham...

Well Rob right now you're total is 90 credits including this semester...you need 122 to graduate and with your current 4 classes a semester you'll have 114 at the end of next year.....

I kept myself composed granted my fist was about ready to plow through cinderblocks there are 5 major reasons I need to graduate before 2010.



1.Christina, my sister who is 6 years younger than me will be a Freshman.



2. Melissa, who is 2 years younger than me will have officially become the first to graduate from college and will be half way to her masters by the time I finish my bachelor's.



3. I do not want to take out any more student loans unless it's going to get me an MA, MBA, or MD, Phd, or Esq after my name.



4. I do not want to be stuck working the teller line so I can continue to juggle courses. I would actually like to get a 9-5 weekends off kind of gig so I can devote more of my life to more than work and school, I'm starting to get tired of working 6 days a week.



5. I want to be able to leave home before I'm 25. More Student debt, and a Teller I salary won't help to make that a reality.



Part 3: All the Senior Thesis courses for next semster full up...so I'm taking my last 2 400 level Histories, my last Anthro course, a Bio-lab, Intro to Sociology, and most likely Public Speaking so I'll be carrying 13 credits. College Board will transfer over my US History AP scores so that's 3 more credits. I'm looking at Taking General Chemistry over the summer, so I'll be forking over $1k out of pocket ( there goes that rebate check...tear..sniff..that was the bad news...) that's 3 credits so I'm up to 22 which means I just need 10 more from the spring semester and I'll be taking 15 ( psych, senior thesis, basket weaving 101, some graduate hisotry course..) I might take a CLEP for $105 in U.S. Politics, get 3 credits there..just for good measure. Worst case I'll strat toward a second bachelor's in Finance if they're going to keep me here then the company might as well pay for it.



My Mondays and Wenesdays will be shot 3 classes back to back to back from 3:30-8:00 but the pool is open to 11PM so I'll swim on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday nights. Wednesday will be my rest day, granted hopefully Christina will be driving by then so my mornings will be open, for hopefully 6AM run/lifting sessions granted on Tuesday and Thursday that won't be happening. Because my courses start late on Tuesday I'll be able to close at the branch..and hopefully not get stuck working every Saturday to balance my hours. But we'll see.

Well that was my rant
Hopefully a Central Alum before he reaches middle age
R.D.

Bjoern Boyer = Lance Armstrong?

Yesterday, I decided on a whim to do a circut of the Pat Griskus Sprint Triathlon loop. I called up Bjoern and he was down for it so we drove out to Middlebury and let the fun begin. Now for anyone who's done this loop with me (Cough Angry Runner! Cough) they know the first 2 to 4 miles are mostly flat to down hill, with a lovely little "S" curve at the 3 mile mark. At the 4 mile mark things start to go up hill, at the 5 mile mark it goes up hill in a hurry, at the 6 mile mark your quads and calves are burning almost saying no mas...the 7 mile mark things start to flatten out. 8 miles, and wonderful little down hill section with a couple of small climbs thrown in for fun. At the nine mile mark you hit the infamous last hill with the smiley face, by this point you want to shoot the race director, especially during the Olympic race, which I once called " CT's Alpe Du Huez", because it is a long gradual climb followed up by a nice 35 mph ( 50k +) descent, followed a sharp right hander and a little bump on route 64 then a nice down hill back toward Quassy Amusement Park ( which on Race day is the Transition area.) Now that I have established the setting for this epic, I will now do a brief profile on Bjoern. Bjoern is the founder of CCSU's tri club, a former soccer player, and Germany's greatest export...next to the Porsche 911...also I don't know if it's in the water in Germany or something but it seems like the country produces great cyclists, Normann Stadler, Faris Al Sultan, Jan Ulrich, Andreas Kloden...Bjoern is no exception the guy man handled me on our 3 looper.

On the first loop things started out pretty well I lead through the first downhill section, he would hammer past when the road flattened out a little bit, We rode together until the "S" Curve he took it at full speed, I slowed a little bit and did the whole " Apex the corner", thing similar to him but a tad bit slower ( and no I was not at my usual Granny-esque pace on this ride...well ok I was on the 3rd loop because some Bimbo in a Mercedes was driving through and had right of way, stupid yield sign...) Anyway when we got to the climbs something that never happens to me happended, I got smoked...I don't mean like he was a few bike lengths ahead... I mean like he did the Lance Armstrong look kicked it into overdrive and surged pulling a good 200-300 meters ahead. When I finally caught up to him, we were going up another series of hills, again he surged and again I got dropped... I caught back up to him on the flat section and we tackled the "last hill" toghether when we got to the top he looked over to me " You're climbing into big a gear." He said as he looked at me rear cog. Now I agree with him on that , there are 3 other reasons I think he beat me on most of the climbs, the first I think his chain ring is a 12-25 rear cog, because we both went up one of the tougher climbs in the biggest cog on the back and he acclerated away, and I know for a fact that I have a 12-23 on the stomper, the second he rides a road bike, shallow seat angle = better climbing, the third and I'm not gong to lie, he's better conditioned, he rides at least 5 days a week, and has been doing long rides for the last 2 months, so for me picking up after a 3 week hiatus I shouldn't really be surprised that he can ride circles around me, granted even when we're both at our peaks he's better on the bike. The sceond loop was a little more painful than the first... I lead on the descents and for the second or third time in my life I was really loving the descents, not having to pedal hard and going 30-40 mph I was loving it. the climbs was more of Bjoern pulling ahead...at the top of the last climb he shouted " Where's my polka dot jersey and 300 Euro bonus!" I quickly chipped in "I want my 40k individual time trial, and my flat sprinting stages." Complete role reversal of last year's mother of all bricks, where I was the climbing god. As we approached the the parking lot I wanted nothing more than to collaspe, my lower back was spasming, my calves were burning, my hams and quads felt cooked...." One more loop he asked?" "damn." I muttered to myself I went along with it telling him I'd probably be falling back. Once again I lead on the descent, when we got to the S curve he took it at full speed and manged to beat the afformentioned bimbo powered Mercedes. The climbs wnet as they did before although I held closer to Bjoern on the big one. On the last hill he said to me " let's hold 20 on this one" "20?" I said my eyes opening wide..." 20k" (13 mph) oh ok I could try for 20k I held on to his back wheel until a few feet from the summit, then I cracked and slowed to about 10mph he got back to the car about a minute ahead. All in all it was a good weekend, I got some desperately needed saddle time as well as a gauge on how much I need to improve. We hit the pool afterward, I got in about 3100 yards he did about 2700, he'll be set for Switzerland in June, I'm just hoping to get my butt ready to haul at Eagleman...granted there is no climbing at Eagleman...although if Bjoern shows up for the griskus sprint, my chances of a podium might once again be in doubt.